SOPHIE LI

How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
* Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
* Fasten Your Seatbelt: G’ma’s never conventional, so this trip won’t be either.
* Use the Green Book: G’ma’s most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and, most important, the way home.

What Not to Bring:
* A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G’ma starts acting stranger than usual.

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover the world hasn’t always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren’t always what they seem–his G’ma included.

I loved that this was a heartfelt contemporary MG book, following the adventures of Scooby and his grandma across the country. As they travelled across the US, Scoob learned more about his grandpa, who he’d never met and who his father had said was a bad man. After listening to grandma’s stories, Scoob realized that things were more than they seemed.

I liked the thread of tension throughout the story which added a bit of eeriness to Scoob’s journey. At one point this novel felt like a thriller! As they drove in grandma’s RV— which she’d sold her house to buy—her behaviour got stranger and stranger.

It was so interesting to learn about tidbits of black history, which grandma explained as they travelled to various landmarks across the US.

I liked the complex family dynamics which were finally revealed at the end of the novel.

Last but not least, the ending was spot on and made me shed a tear, in a good way.

Despite the thread of tension throughout the story, I felt that the pacing was off. It was slow-moving for the most part, until BAM I was hit with a huge twist and lots of explanations at the very end.

This novel was very introspective. Scoob and grandma’s journey was filled with flashbacks and storytelling. Because of the frequent blasts to the past, it was actually hard to keep track of what they were doing in the present, which made for a confusing read at times.

3/5 fishies!

Overall this was a great read! I loved being inside Scoob’s head as he learned more about his family’s past while on an epic road trip.

Photo by Nicolas Moscarda on Unsplash